Tag: touring

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The experiences described in these posts were Steve or Micki’s at the time they took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

2018 Iron Butt 40/40ths Certificate Ride

2 Wheels. 40,000 Documented Miles. 40 Days. That’s it. Simple enough. Ride, Sleep, Eat; Repeat. Oh.. and there will be fun. Gotta have fun.
I am “attempting” an Iron Butt 40/40ths. I say attempting because, to paraphrase a famous quote, If your ideas don’t scare you they’re not big enough. Well, this one is big enough.
The record right now is 31,000 miles ridden in 31 days by Senator Dave Zien set in 2005. I’m going to start, and at some point I am going to stop. …fingers-crossed…
-Steve Diederich

Spotwalla is a free service built by Jason Jonas that allows easy sharing of Spot trackers. You can donate to help support Spotwalla and our friend Jason: https://spotwalla.com/help/index.php

Read through the whole event on Facebook HERE or peruse the Ride Report below…

Ride Report

March 30, Costa Mesa, CA – I think I’ve come up with a way to ride all these miles AND make money along the way to pay for all the gas! :p

April 3, Costa Mesa, CA – Earlier this year Robert Higdon wrote daily reports for his adventure of riding south. He is Always worth reading! The reason I am bringing this up is to give credit where credit is due. Towards the end of the series he says, “…motorcyclists know what they’re doing: impossible, useless things.” That Stuck with me. And, made its way into the “A Mind-Bendingly, Impossibly Useless” phrase in the event cover image. Impossible, useless things. Yup, I’ve done some of those. And, even proud of most of them. 🙂
Robert Higdon’s Riding South Series – 2018
ironbutt.com/higdon

April 4, Costa Mesa, California – I have received a lot of encouragement, suggestions, routing/planning help, offers of on-the-road help, and more from many people; far too many to list here. One person who has helped tremendously, and her help will be dire for the next 40 days, is Micki. No One Else has had to endure me mumbling for nearly two-years about this ridiculously plan… Her: “Should we bake or grill the chicken.” Me: “You know, I think I could get away with just two tire changes.” Secretly she’s been wishing I’d forget the crazy idea, but.. nope. No luck there. I am lucky though. She’s 100% behind me and will be handling a lot of things, not only in my absence, but ride logistic things to keep me rolling, sleeping, and not having to remember so much (as my brain will-be-mush). I couldn’t do this without her. Xoxo Morning coffee set. Launch Time: 5:30 AM PST Good Night

April 5, Costa Mesa, CA – Morning! Seven years ago today, on my birthday then too, I rode off for my First cross-country motorcycle trip. A trip of a lifetime! I had a Wing back then too and figured it’s a touring bike, so it wants to go far. I had never done any IBA (Iron Butt Association) rides. Didn’t know what LD (Long Distance) riding was. Hell, my longest day riding was maybe ~300 miles. I spent four weeks riding from Central New York (where I lived at the time) visiting places and people down south and then west to California. Each day I enjoyed seeing how much further I could ride in a day. When it was time to leave Cali to ride back to New York I decided to beeline it home. While stopping for the night in Denver I decided to try this ‘Iron Butt’ thing I had heard of, and ride 1,000 miles the next day. Denver to (just past) Chicago. Phew ~ I Did It! (albeit without proper witness forms and documentation). That was it. I was HOOKED. I know knew what LD Riding was, and my bank account has never been the same.

Here I am today. My 52nd birthday. Another ride of a lifetime. Whereas I rode something over 8,500 miles on that five-week-birthday-trip years ago; I’m starring down 40,000 miles in 40 days this time. Things are certainly different.

April 5 (by Micki Denton) – Away he goes! #birthdayboy #mile1

April 5, Costa Mesa – My Start Receipt. The first of what will be over 170 receipts to document this Odyssey. Gassed-up. Kickstand-up. Only another 40,000 miles to go! Maybe 40,040 just to make sure I go over. My odometer registers more miles than actually traveled. 🙂

April 5, Primm, NV – The solar fields are hot today!

April 5, Love’s Travel Plaza, North Las Vegas, NV – I had to stop for gas. pffftt

April 5, Chevron Cove Fort, Fillmore, UT – I didn’t come all this way just to turn around and go home! no..wait. I did

April 5 – Welp… He managed to miss another California earthquake. We were actually on the phone when my office building started rockin’ and rollin’!

April 5, Shell , Costa Mesa – Not bad. 1,000 miles in ~14 hours. Done for the day, and what a smooth day it was. Let’s do this again tomorrow! 🙂 I can’t believe I just said “just 40,000 miles”!!!!

April 5 (by Micki Denton) – Incoming! #dayonedone

April 6, Costa Mesa – “Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.” Morning No need for a ‘start receipt’ today; I’m still on the same ride. I’m rolling out East right from my garage; with the tanks full from last night. If today is as smooth as yesterday this should be relatively easy. Though, now I’m on day 2 and pain points will start announcing themselves. After three or four days my body should settle in. That’ll be nice

April 6 – Wardrobe Change. Get’n warmer out

April 6, 7-Eleven, Holtville, CA – Well, this was not my planned gas stop. New Problem: The Power wire to the switch housing that controls the relay for the Aux tank pump is not happy today.

April 6 (by Micki Denton) – Folks have been curious about the routes. These are the 6 fastest, most direct, 500 mile routes out of SoCal. As I’ve mentioned in comments, the distance ridden is calculated by your receipts. If there is a more direct route than the one you took, you will not get credit for the additional miles, so it is essential to get a receipt anytime you deviate for the most direct route. Stopping for a receipt adds time and Steve is on a tight schedule.
I’ve got LOADS more details — traffic matrices, weather matrices, road speed/condition data, gas stop location quality, etc. When you ask a native Californian, career data analyst, “What’s the best 500 mile route?”, you get a thorough answer. 😉 I’ll share more later…

April 6, Love’s Travel Center w/ Taco Bell, Gila Bend, AZ – No Love from the aux tank relay switch housing. Couple hours further into AZ, then I turn around ..and do the hokey-pokey

April 7, Pilot Travel Center, Lake Havasu City, AZ – That stretch of I-40 was-a-breeze. And, looks like my attempt to fix the aux tank switch wiring last night was successful. Off the highway, Back on the highway: 8 minutes. They won’t all be that good :p On to (past) Flagstaff!

April 7, Chevron, Winslow, AZ – Getting gas on a corner…

April 7 – Something I never leave for a long ride without…

April 7, Pilot Travel Center, Lake Havasu City, AZ – Hot Town.. 99° !

April 7, Shell, Costa Mesa – High, high winds on that last leg. Ate a lot of fuel. Came in on fumes (bike carries 10.8 gallons ). Good day. I like this route, but have to cut out Flagstaff and beyond. 35 mile construction zone!

April 8, Costa Mesa, California – Morning. Today I’m riding north up Interstate 5 (and back) through the “Grapevine”. I’m not a fan of the Grapevine – notorious for 100 car pile-ups, fires, fog and snow. However, the bigger problem today is Sunday night traffic. Everyone who went away for the weekend wants back into LA/Orange County tonight ..and there’s only a few routes back-in, with SoCal flanked by a mountain range and the ocean. The worst route for today would be the I-15 Utah route through Vegas I took on day one… everyone returning from Vegas and the desert funnel through one pass into OC, it can take upwards of Eight Hours (regularly 4 hours) to get home from Vegas. ..not fun..
Rolling!

April 8 (by Micki Denton) – Here is the Weather Matrix (for 5 of 6 routes). This helps in planning on which route he’ll stay most dry, warm and still. Considering Yosemite National Park closed due to flooding yesterday, I opted not to send him up through central California. However, today is the day to go through LA (Saturdays & Sundays are best), but that’s the Traffic Matrix. 😉 I’ll share that later…

April 8, Chevron, Kettleman City – …brr…

April 8, Chevron, Willows – Weather is cooperating, and I’m feeling quite good. Time to turn around and put the bike away for the day.

April 8, Firebaugh, California – Simply Beautiful

April 8, Chevron, Kettleman City – Home, Moto!

April 8, Shell, Costa Mesa – Done for the day. That makes an SS4000 so far. Funny thing…
I got a receipt last night. Went home. Ate a warm meal. Took a shower. Went over things with Micki. Got a good nights rest. Then, woke up, rode 1,000+ miles, and got a quick ending receipt… and documented a California In-State SaddleSore1000, with minutes to spare, in the process. 😛 lol

April 9, Costa Mesa, California – It’s Monday… Back to the Grind! I seem to be a little more tired this morning, than the others. Maybe the post-spring break drivers drained me. I’ve never done so much passing on the right!

April 10, Costa Mesa, California – Morning ☀ Looks like a good day to ride! Rolling…

April 10, Loves Tire Care, Lake Havasu City, AZ – Made it to Arizona in good time. Going to do a few loops now on this 75 MPH, Construction-free section of I-40.

April 10, Ash Fork, Arizona – Now to loop back West

April 10, Loves Travel Stop, I-40 and Hwy 95, Lake Havasu City, AZ – Done with the first loop. Time to do it again. To have some fun, I’m going to attempt Facebook Live on the next gas stop; in about 110+ minutes.

April 10, Ash Fork, Arizona – Gas Stop [LIVE VIDEO]

April 10, Ash Fork, Arizona – [LIVE VIDEO]

April 10, Shell, Ash Fork, Arizona – 1.5 Loops. Finish this up, and then head back to SoCal.

April 11, Costa Mesa – Morning ☀ Tomorrow I’m leaving for Moonshine and back (4 days, ~4,000 miles), so I’m doing a few things this morning, including taking care of the bike. The traffic window around is either leave before 6 or after 9. Kickstand Up at 9 AM.

April 11, Costa Mesa, California – Time to spin my wheels some more

April 11, Love’s Travel Plaza, North Las Vegas, NV – Just made a new fan at the gas station ..I don’t think his wife was thrilled that he now wants a bike again :p

April 12, Pilot Flying J, Big Spring, TX – Calling it a day. About 1,100 miles; little more than halfway to Moonshine 🙂

April 13, Big Spring, TX – Morning! Illinois Bound. Rolling…

April 13, Conoco, Oklahoma City, OK – Maximize fuel stops I say. Miss fuel exit I did. Settle for this place I had to. Good News: I haven’t been mugged yet. Also, I’m sure this gas is some of the best.

April 13, Vandalia, Illinois – Got gas and got into the hotel before that thing caught up to me and Really started raining 🙂 gn

April 12, Scottsdale, AZ – Paul Pelland and I have teamed-up to rack up the miles together. Best part: No Traffic
The ball of death at Arizona bike week!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewEnglandRiders/permalink/1733276453377800/
Seriously though, Check out what Paul is doing with all his riding!
http://facebook.com/longhaulpaulusa/

April 14, Vandalia, Illinois – Off to Moonshine …to get a burger. And, hope to see some friends. I’ll be there about 9:30 AM; for about an hour. Rolling…

April 14, Phillips 66 Gas, Amarillo, TX – Got to the hotel; Warming up. It got Cold. Down to 37°. Truckers passing each other slowed me down. Though, the then diminished windchill, and the heat off their headlights, made up for that. I was concerned that the heated gear might not have been working right, but that can’t be since I clearly have heat marks spelling out Gerbing. The morning should improve. Not the temperature mind ya; it’s forecasted to still be low 30’s. They also forecasted the Sun to be out. That’ll be an improvement over other driver’s headlights. Don’t forget to tip your waitress. Thank you, Amarillo. Goodnight! Up before the dawn-

April 15, Amarillo, Texas – Morning ☀ Rolling to California…

April 15, Albuquerque, New Mexico – Sun, 60’s+, Ahhhhhhhh.

April 15, Parks, AZ – Closer to SoCal… 🙂

April 15, Needles, California – Last Stop before home. 261 miles / 3.5 hours to go.

April 15, Shell, Costa Mesa – That was one cold, wet, long ass ride for a burger. Won’t be doing that again! :p Late start tomorrow. Some things to take care of. gn 🌙

April 16, Texaco, Hurricane, UT – Turning around; Short’ish day. Back on track tomorrow. High Winds north of Vegas, again.

April 16, Love’s Travel Plaza, North Las Vegas, NV – Bbbbaaaaddd winds coming back south. Looks like I burned 3 gallons going north ~100 miles, and burned 4 gallons to come back to the same station. 8-|

April 16, Shell, Costa Mesa – Done ..for the day. More wind, More cold (got down to 43° F).
I Really thought I was going to run out of gas on the freeway. High winds wreck fuel economy. Came in on vapors. Was mentally preparing to push the bike a few blocks. lol
gn 🌙

April 17, Costa Mesa (By Micki Denton) – Steve missed his window by a smidge today and had to endure traffic on his usually clear route, reverse to the traffic coming in from the IE (Inland Empire) to OC (Orange County) for work.
Timing your exit from and entry into OC or LA is essential; it’s the difference between going somewhere and going nowhere. I’ve had years of driving and learning SoCal’s varying traffic patterns and still got stuck heading to Vegas on a Friday afternoon 3 weeks ago (dumb), where it took 55 minutes to go 0.7 miles.
Below you’ll see a live shot of LA & OC traffic (7:45am), my google search for “57 freeway” (which he did not take, but traffic rerouting around its closure will impact his ride) and my custom traffic matrix that I made for Steve. The points listed are about 1.5-2.0 hours from home. The matrix shows how long it will take to get to that point from home (mornings) or home from that point (evenings). So far, it’s been pretty accurate, even when we wished it wasn’t.

April 18, Las Vegas, Nevada – Last we left our intrepid rider… Here are the last couple receipts for the day. In the afternoon, on my way to Lake Havasu City, the bike started making noises and vibrating the frame. I’d ride awhile, stop to try to figure it out, get back on the road with no noise, then it would come back. After many calls and much Googling, it appears there’s a problem with the Final Drive.
As the photo shows, I’m not home. I’m in Vegas (,Baby!). Where Moto will be dropped off at service in the morning and I will Thankfully jump on a borrowed Wing in order to keep riding while Moto gets fixed and receives new tires and oil. While I’m in Vegas, did you need anything Dan Crowley? gn 🌙

April 18, Quicky’s Convenience Center, Las Vegas, NV – Ok, shaking things up… Bike Change! Through the IBA community I am THANKFULLY continuing on with a borrowed bike; while mine is in the shop. This 2010 GL1800 Wing doesn’t have all my creature comfort accoutrements.. ie. No Aux Tank and only half bath, and no spa. But, it’s a Wing and I’m rolling again! Short day. I’ll head to Utah, then back home to SoCal for the evening.

April 18, St. George, Utah – With such a late start, it’s going to be a low mileage day. Heading back to SoCal to do some things, reset, and get an Early start tomorrow to put on some miles.

April 18, Nipton, California – Loaner bike is good. I’m good. Weather is good. Life is good. Hopefully, I’ve got enough gas to get to Costa Mesa. We’ll see how this bike guzzles.

April 18, Shell, Costa Mesa – Forgot to post this early… Back home safe & sound (well.. safe) in Costa Mesa with the loaner bike. All is good. Wrapping up the day. Up & Out early tomorrow! gn

April 18, Shell, Costa Mesa – That was fun.

April 19, Costa Mesa, California – Early to Rise, Early to Ride Morning! Rolling…

April 19, Chevron, Ludlow – So I’ve been wondering. Since this is a loaner bike.. What’s between ride responsibly and Ride Like You Stole It!?

April 19 – Shout Out to Jerry White who not only greeted me with a friendly smile at my final gas stop last night, but also bought the bike a tank of gas (California prices no less!). Thanks, Jerry! Now, if I could only lineup 150 more people to meet me at gas stops. :p

April 20 – Update from the shop that has my broken bike: They’re finally getting to it. Will get Honda warranty approval today for rebuilding the broken Final Drive, parts in by ~Tue, bike done by Wed~Thu. :)) Plus, new oil & tires are done.

April 20, Newberry Springs, California – Stopped for more gas, but I think I may have left something in Kingman. I better go back.

April 20, Chevron, Kingman, AZ – Must be Mr/Mrs Baker owns a Chevron in Kingman. Hmm Guess where to next! :p

April 21, Motorcycle Tire Center , Las Vegas, NV – Motorcycle Tire Center in Vegas on Charleston got me in, and back out, with new tires & oil in ~1.5 hours. Mel, the owner, has done a SaddleSore1000 and said to contact them ahead when I need tires next and they will get me rolling again ASAP. Nice Shop!

April 21, Las Vegas, Nevada – I’m an Upstate New York Boy, who lives in California, riding a bike from Illinois in Nevada. Think I’ll ride up to Colorado to check out the scenery. Why Not! Rolling…

April 21, Shell, Cedar City, UT – I cut my nails while waiting for the tires to be replaced (Bonus!). Now, I’m not afraid to take my gloves off.

April 21, Loves Travel Plaza, Salina, UT – In my head: “There’s an exit with gas. Hmm.. how far can I get till I’ll have to grab a station before I run out of gas between services………..Right. Back there.” 5 miles to the next exit and backtracking. Not terrible I’d consider changing what I’m riding again, but I think it needs new shoes. Maybe I can mount car shoes on it.

April 21, Loves Travel Plaza, Salina, UT – I’d consider changing what I’m riding again, but I think it needs new shoes. Maybe I can mount car shoes on it.

April 21, Fruita, Colorado –

April 21, Utah I-70 – Wow, just Wow
[PANORAMA PIC]

April 21, Salina, Utah – ~88 MPH, Low traffic, Beautiful weather :))

April 21, Texaco, St. George, UT – Yup. Gas

April 22, Las Vegas, Nevada – That was a long day. I think the new tires are broken in though 🙂 gn 🌙

April 22, Las Vegas, Nevada – Morning ☀ Time to go see what’s new on I-40. Rolling…

April 22, Newberry Springs, California – The 40 is So Much better than the 15 with its exodus of Vegas traffic today.

April 22, Kingman, Arizona – If only I burned fuel as efficiently as the bike does

April 22, High Sierra Oasis/ Route 66, San Bernardino – I have passed this in-the-middle-of-nowhere oasis a number of times and thought I’d give them a try as a turn-around point. Bad Choice. Never again; on purpose

April 24, California – I name cars. If they are driving poorly, erratically, fast, or negatively affect my path of travel a second time, I look at their license plate and figure out some code word(s) from the jumble of alphanumerics. ie. Today 7SLC*** became “The Slicer”. That way when I most likely encounter them again down the road I’m like.. Oh, Yeah. THAT car. Some drivers can be so predictable.

April 24, Shell, Nipton – First gas stop for the day

April 24, St. George, Utah – I bought more gas earlier …if anyone was wondering

April 24, Scipio, Utah – I turned around yesterday at this exit to head home. Not today. Need a few..more..miles 🙂

April 24, Shell, Mona, UT – You’ll never guess what I didn’t buy! Turning around. Be in Costa Mesa about 11:00.

April 24, Fillmore, Utah – Out of cheese, but not gas. All this gas is making the bike bloated

April 24, Shell, Costa Mesa – Day 20 done. ~20,058 documented miles done (uncertified). According to what I searched; I think I am only the 6th IBA rider to achieve this. Sweet! Let’s do All that ..again. Starting tomorrow ..late. I’m sleeping in. gn 🌙

April 25, Costa Mesa, California – Morning ☀ Day 21- Spent some quality time with Mic having breakfast together. 🙂 Also spent some time this morning gathering documentation for Honda Warranty that yes, I do maintain my bike. Now back to Riding!! Rolling…

April 25, Shell, Nipton – It’s a HOT one out here today. No wind or rain though 🙂

April 25, United States – Bike Update: Honda warranty dept FINALLY approved the replacement of the Final Drive assembly. Not just a rebuild; because parts had fused together. Honda dragged it out by first requiring photos of the failed parts. And then, insinuated scheduled maintenance wasn’t followed (Final Drive oil replacement every 24K miles). Requiring me to gather documentation this morning showing I bought oil and parts, receipts, have the tools and service manuals etc. Otherwise, they would not cover it.
Parts are being shipped overnight (at my expense). The shop should have them tomorrow; or Friday at the latest. Fingers-crossed to get my bike back by Friday afternoon. Looking forward to it!! :))

April 25, Texaco, Hurricane, UT – Short day; Turning around.

April 25, Nipton, California – This place is starting to grow on me. Like the moss in the garden urinal.

April 25, Costa Mesa, California – Day 21 is over, and you know what that means… For three-straight-weeks I have been eating a bag of Chez-Its every day. That’s a lot of cheesy snack crackers. Still got a ways to go, so Micki you better order more! gn 🌙

April 25 – UPDATE: 4/25/18 Completed Days: 21 Miles to Date: 20,885

April 26, Costa Mesa, California – Morning ☀ Rolling… 🙂

April 26, Costa Mesa, California – Day 22 of 40. Woke up this morning with Two Gold Wings (GL1800) in my garage. Neither of which are mine! I’m starting to think I could’ve attempted this ride without even owning a motorcycle. Lol Thank You Jerry White (left) and Thank You Michael Kneebone (right) for making sure I can-and-do keep rolling. 🙂

April 26, Shell, Nipton – What can I say that I haven’t said already

April 26, Texaco, Hurricane, UT – Anybody got suggestions for explaining all the fuel expenditures on the Corporate card?

April 28, Fruita, Colorado – Morning ☀ Time for some faster roads and no city traffic. Rolling…

April 28, Texaco, Fillmore, UT – Didn’t ask me for Zip, If I wanted a Car Wash, Play commercials, or Remind me to print my receipt for special offers. It also gave me a crappy receipt. Anyways.. Turning around; Back to Fruita!

April 28, Fruita, Colorado – Turning around, Heading back West again

April 28, Meadow, Utah – It’s a mystery to this day of whatever happened to all those missing cars in the Bur-Meadow Triangle
[VIDEO] -0:25

April 28, Salina, Utah – Back to Fruita ..again.. for the night

April 28, Fruita, Colorado – Made it back from Salina to Fruita for the Nighta 🌙

April 29, Fruita, Colorado – Morning ☀ Got my coffee. Rolling!

April 29, Conoco, Meadow, UT – Beautiful Day!

April 29, Pilot Travel Center, Grand Junction, CO – Met another rider at the station. Actually from California, too; Not far from Micki & I. Small World (try to get that out of your head now. lol) Couple long legs done. Now for a third…

April 29, Salina, Utah – Time to turn around and do the hokey

April 29, Fruita, Colorado – Back in Fruita, but… it’s early and I need more miles. Back out for some night riding 🙂

April 29, Green River, Utah – QUICK turnaround

April 29, Fruita, Colorado – The first photo shows the gas I bought. The second photo shows the 25¢ worth of gas I had to buy in order to get a receipt from another pump. The first pump was out of paper (I believe it was out 24 hours ago, too) and the station store is closed. 😕 On a funnier note…
Micki says I’m at 24,923 miles for the past 25 days. If my goal was to circumnavigate the Earth(!), I’m over by 22 miles. 😉 🌏 gn 🌙

April 30, Shell, Costa Mesa – Good day today. Large swings in temps. I think today officially made it that I have been snowed on more than rained on during this ‘ride’. lol …so far. Big Day Tomorrow! Not riding related though 🙂 gn 🌙

May 2, Loves Tire Care, Lake Havasu City, AZ – Another bit-rainy day. So, officially now.. I’ve been rained on more than snowed on. As it should be! :p

May 2, Newberry Springs, California – More Gas and a Turn-around

May 2, Pilot Travel Center, Lake Havasu City, AZ – Quick Gas, and turning around to head back to Costa Mesa

May 2, California – Hey!
[VIDEO] -0:07

May 2, Shell, Costa Mesa – What a long short day. I’m beat (weather). Good thing I’ve got time to get plenty of sleep. May tomorrow be a short-feeling long day. gn 🌙

May 2 – UPDATE: 5/2/18 10PM Completed Days: 28 Miles to Date: 27,835

May 3, Costa Mesa, California, – Morning 🌞 Four weeks. Been riding for FOUR WEEKS. I can’t even wrap my own head around that. Today I’m going to push up over 29,000 miles for day 29. Then.. this weekend is going to be interesting 😉 Rolling…

May 3, I-40 fwy – Each time I transition in Barstow, CA from I-15N to I-40E (the beginning of I-40 in the West) I am taunted with This sign. Sounds like a two day challenge to me. Maybe another day. — at I-40 fwy.

May 3, Love’s, Kingman, AZ – Much Nicer riding day today :)) Turning Back West to loop…

May 3, California – Steve: Head to Toes
I’ve been wanting to post on how I’m doing, but been a little busy. After riding four-straight-weeks, it seems like it’s time.
I am doing really well. I attribute this to time, food, sleep, and fatigue management. Plus, this ain’t no Rally; so there’s a litany of fatiguing situations I do not have to endure. I set my pace and choose where & when to go. Most importantly, Micki has been doing anything and everything she can do, so that I don’t have to. I know for sure: I could not pull this off without her (and I wouldn’t want to).
Starting with the top… If you could see the top of my head you could guess what brand of helmet I wear. Not only is the skin molding to the shape of the liner; my buzzed haircut is growing back to that pattern, too. lol I really should post a photo.
After the first week of riding I did develop a rubbing/contact bruise on my forehead, but after using large bandages & time, that has healed and toughened up. Not a problem since then.
I avoid sunburns by using a good, strong sunscreen lotion on the parts of my face & neck that are exposed. The rest of me is always under cover. I also use lip balm on sunny days.
I’ve been wearing Pinlock ear plugs. They’ve been serving me well. Though, recently my ear canals are starting to get a tiny bit achy.
As any rider can guess, I have had acne here, there, and everywhere. Manageable though.
I’ve been having dry, cracking skin on my fingers lately. Attending to that.
For forty-years I have had a bad right knee. I use three bands of KT Tape on it regularly. It has been holding up. My good knee, the left, takes a bit more of the brunt; as I favor my right. So, it’s had some aches. I try to stretch both my legs and rest them in different positions on the bike.
I’ve been tracking my weight. It’s been staying in a 3 pound window right along. Handling a thousand pounds for a thousand miles each day certainly has helped burn calories and build muscle as I sit here each day. My upper torso has never looked so ripped. lol The Fountain of Youth: Ride a motorcycle ..far.
My brain has had moments. I knew from previous long rides that I go through all different emotions. No exceptions here. But, the end of the day is the end of the day. When I wake up in the morning I’ve reset and it’s a new day. It’s kept me going. That, and humor. Humor Helps!
Luckily, knock on plastic, I haven’t had any mishaps; ie. Bike drops, tripping, bumps, bruises, bangs, etc., that happen in life. Also, haven’t gotten sick or felt ill (been avoiding ocean cruises and buffets during this time). So, I haven’t had to deal with that AND riding.
In conclusion. If I complete this ride I will be the healthiest individual to ever elect to ride an IBA 40/40ths.

May 3, 76, Ludlow – Gassed back up and heading back East…

May 3, Love’s, Kingman, AZ – Already seen, See original –

May 3, Ludlow, California – Got more Gas. Now, I need more Miles! Heading East ..again-again

May 4, Costa Mesa, California – Morning ☀ It’s been a looong few weeks of riding; having ridden 29,000 miles in 29 days. All This.. to get me here:
My Big 3 Day Weekend 🙂
Fri: Finish a 30/30ths
Sat: Tie the record 31/31
Sun: Break the Record
Tires kicked. Fingers-crossed. Bike blessed. Salt thrown. Birthday wishes never spoken. Pennies found, And thrown in a fountain. Calendar cleared. Nothing but riding this weekend!
Rolling…

May 4, Kingman, Arizona – I gas among Kingman! Now, Back West…

May 4, Newberry Springs, California – I walk into the station store…
Me: Pump 2 is out of paper.
Clerk: Did you need a receipt?

May 4, Kingman, Arizona – 320 more miles to finish ‘Friday’. Home Moto!

May 4, Shell, Costa Mesa – 30/30ths… Done. Well, that only took thirty days. No wonder only four other riders have ever done this. What was I thinking? What were They thinking?! Now to rest for tomorrow’s goal. gn 🌙

May 4 – UPDATE: 5/4/18 11PM Completed Days: 30 Miles to Date: 30,020

May 5, Costa Mesa, California – ¡Buenos Días! 🌞 This Cinco de Mayo, I start the day with the Cinco de 30/30ths. By end of day, I hope to be one of 2 to complete 31K miles in 31 days. ¡Vámonos!

May 6, Primm, Nevada – You do not want to head south out of Vegas anytime during the day on Sundays. This is the tail end of a multi-mile slow-rolling parking lot.
[VIDEO] -0:08

May 6, McDonald’s, Las Vegas, NV – Momma always said, among other things, you can’t break a record on an empty stomach!

May 6, Motorcycle Tire Center, Las Vegas, NV – I brought Michael Kneebone’s Wing here for tires & oil and had a great experience. So, I brought Moto in for tires & oil. Melvin, the Shop Manager, luckily got me right in. In-and-out in great time! Moto now has fresh oil and enough rubber to last till the end of the 40/40ths. 👍🏻🙂

May 6, Love’s Travel Plaza, North Las Vegas, NV – The things you see on the road. What a hoot to watch. I just Had To start recording after I heard people yelling Stop! Stop! Stop!
[VIDEO]

May 6, Parowan, Utah – Heading back south towards Costa Mesa 🙂

May 6, Love’s Travel Plaza, North Las Vegas, NV – Less than 4 hours and 300 miles from completing my 32nd day. Woohoo!

May 6, Shell, Costa Mesa – Just finished 32,000 miles in 32 days …no one said ever …until now. Not sinking in yet. Eight more days to go though! gn 🌙

May 6 – UPDATE: 5/6/18 11PM Completed Days: 32 Miles to Date: 32,022

May 7, Costa Mesa, California – Morning 🌞 I am Well Rested. Going to be a short day today; ~800’ish miles. Slept in, And I want to get in early tonight in order to get rolling in the early morning hours tomorrow. Speaking of which… Rolling

May 7, Moapa Travel Plaza, Valley of Fire, Moapa, NV – Yup. Gas.

May 7, Mesquite, Nevada – Turning around for the day. Unfortunately, gas can be spread out in the mountainous Southwest. The next gas after this would get me home an hour later. 😕 Can’t be too late, have to get up early.

May 7, TA Truck Service, Barstow – Wasn’t gonna make it all the way home without some more of this

May 7 – That unfortunate moment when you realize you Should have gotten the extra insurance
[VIDEO] -0:13

May 8, Costa Mesa, California – Morning 🌞 Heading to Utah and I-80 for the next three days. Faster roads.. Less traffic… Less Heat! Going to stay out of the 100°+ F temps the Southwest is having this week. Rolling…

May 10, Salt Lake City, Utah – Morning 🌞 It’s a good day to ride! Rolling…

May 10 – Health Update: I’m good. Little more achy, tired than a week or two ago. My fingers are a wee bit stiff, and strangely both upper wrists have a patch of worn down hair. Also, I’ve got some gnarly callouses on my hands.
My ears are good, but after more than four weeks of inserting the Pinlock earplugs, my ear canals must’ve expanded a bit so that the earplugs go in well, but I need tweezers to get them out; my fingers no longer reach the pull-tabs.
My knees are a bit more ‘tired’. Wearing compression socks has worked wonders; though I’m starting to see some puffiness in my lower legs. Plus, all the high temps I’ve been riding in have been giving me heat rashes on the tops of my feet.
My mental attitude is… good. Heat & Tiredness never help with that. Almost to the Finish Line helps tremendously. Micki, of course, has been the biggest positive factor. She’s been there to support me every mile of the way.
There is a talk of me motoring on and doing a 50/50ths. Let me put those rumors to rest: Nope. Though, if someone left a gym bag filled with $10,000 in tire-tread-marked bills on our doorstep, I could reconsider. Of course, I would have to use the money to bribe Micki to let me keep going. 😉
All-in-all I am all good for finishing (did I just jinx myself?). It’ll be interesting to see if day 41 hits me like a wall.
Breathing & Rolling,
Steve

May 10, Phillips 66 Gas, Salt Lake City, UT – Everything was great today… until I crossed back into Utah and rode through the salt flats. The Winds were WICKED. Was in an 80 zone, where I do 90, and was doing ~60 to keep it on the road. For a long time the bike was leaning heavily to the left; like I had it on it’s side stand – While going straight. Very tiring. All good now. gn 🌙

May 11, Salt Lake City, Utah – Morning 🌞 I was going to do another out-and-back 600 mile loop on I-80 today before I head back South to home in Costa Mesa, but parts of I-80 I rode on for the past three days are getting rain and Snow this morning; so.. Nope! 😛 Rolling South…

May 11 – UPDATE: 5/11/18 9AM Completed Days: 36 Miles to Date: 36,265

May 11, St. George, Utah – Gassed-up and continuing South. Oh, and I filled the tanks.

May 11 (By Micki Denton) – Mother Nature decided to mix it up today. Each of the usual routes has a Wind Advisory, some with gusts up to 60MPH possible (I’m looking at you Barstow). So… send calm/peaceful thoughts his way today.

May 11, Barstow, California – Happy W-i-n-d-s-day!
[VIDEO]

May 11, Needles, California – Still Windsday, but at least not Fryday 🙂

May 11, Newberry Springs, California – Gonna head back East and loop again; want some more miles for the day

May 11 – Had to go Receipt Chasing at the last windy gas station
[VIDEO]

May 11, Shell, Costa Mesa – Day 37… DONE. To give some insight; Throughout the riding day, or trip if I’m away from home (like this time), I make notes of things to do before the next riding day begins. Here’s the current list:
Charge up Apple Watch
Dump GoPro memory chipS
Shave
Trim nose hair
Lube pant buttons
Soak left mid finger in peroxide
Zip tie pen holder
Check…
Final Drive
Engine oil
Coolant
Tire surfaces
The regular routing stuff Micki & I have down pat. If I don’t make notes for the odd stuff, I Will Not Remember Crap 😛
gn 🌙

May 12, Ludlow, California – On the downlow in Ludlow. Heading to SoCal.

May 12, Shell, Costa Mesa – Most nights lately as the bike carries me back to the barn, I think: I..have..to..do..this..again..tomorrow. More so some nights than others. Then, as I said before, I get rest, reset, and get up and do it again. Tonight isn’t any different. Tomorrow morning won’t be either. gn 🌙

May 13, Costa Mesa, California – Morning 🌞 So Close I can smell the ozone coming from the IBA’s laser printer. I couldn’t find the certificate fee online for this ride. Hope they don’t charge by the days/miles!
Rolling…

May 13, Shell, Newberry Springs – This station is FFFFF’k Up! Eight pumps. One is taped off. The one I first pulled up to has it’s computer display in a rebooting loop. The pump I ended up using was out of paper. And, I ended up helping a French couple with another pump and ended up just having them scoot their car around to my pump. When I went inside for my receipt I told the clerk, but he clearly couldn’t understand. “Pay inside”, he said. Anyways.. down the road I roll..

May 13 – Good Stuff! 🙂

May 13, Ash Fork, Arizona – Easy stop; turning around. Also, if you press enough of the black buttons on the sides of the display it’ll mute the annoying commercials 😉

May 13, Shell, Needles – Dan Crowley, I’ve stopped in Needles one last time. Are you sure you don’t need Anything? I’ve grown to like this place. The people are nice, and the Tire Guys are usually chill’n. This has been my favorite gas station.

May 13 – If my numbers are right… I’m at 39,000 miles, and have ~36 hours left to ride the final 1,000 miles. :)) What could go wrong ?? (comment below)

May 13, Seligman, Arizona – Bike Problem! I stopped for gas and discovered a problem with the bike. The right foot peg is worn through. I’m on the phone with roadside assistance now to get towed to the nearest Honda Dealer. Hopefully, when they open in the morning they’ll have the parts I need and can get me back on the road. This ride is all about my safety, and comfort. -Steve 😉

May 13, Seligman, Arizona – Gassed up and heading back to SoCal. No more playing on the 40 for me.

May 13, Newberry Springs, California – Never going back to that station! Seriously.. no need to

May 14, Shell, Costa Mesa – Wow. Day 39 Done, and only ~500 miles left to go. Day 39. Hurts my head. I have Really tried not to think about it. Lol gn 🌙

May 14 – UPDATE: 5/14/18 1AM Completed Days: 39 Miles to Date: 39,499

May 14, Costa Mesa, California – Morning – Day 40! 🌞 After forty days of wandering in the desert… today is the day. Just FIVE HUNDRED AND ONE miles more to accomplish an IBA 40/40ths. I’d say nothing can stop me ..but I’m not that stupid. Lol Departing around 10:00 AM Pacific Time. Going to Vegas and back!

May 14, I40& I15 – Just finished the I-40 and the 40K (pending verification). 120mi to our final gas receipt!

May 15, Shell, Costa Mesa – Got busy last night after getting my End Receipt; hadn’t posted this yet. Done for the day. Done for the ride. DONE 🙂

May 15 – UPDATE: 5/15/18 5PM Completed Days: 40 Miles to Date: 40,115

Thanks to everyone for their support!

May 21, Costa Mesa, California – ONE WEEK LATER
Any desire to ride has not come back. No surprise there! Also, the bike needs Lots of love and attention. Soon enough I’ll have to take it apart, replace what needs replacing, and clean everything everywhere. The bike IS the dirtiest it-has-ever-been.
As for myself; My fingers hurt, but luckily only when I move them. They built-up some muscle; in just one position though. So, the first few days they kind of snapped when I flexed them.
My neck is dealing with the same odd-muscles situation, and with the freedom to achieve full mobility (no helmet and jacket getting in the way). Thats the thing it dislikes most. Its like being on crutches for six-weeks. If you don’t flex the joint fully it’ll stiffen-up.
Overall my body/bones/muscles ache a bit. Nothing that keeps me from doing anything. I realized shortly after returning to a normal life that my body did indeed build-up new muscles …but while sitting! So, standing and walking for the first few days my body was like, What? You want to do that too?! I felt ‘heavy’ while walking.
Home and work life has gotten back to normal. I’ve taken care of dozens of little things that got pushed off. Nothing forgotten (or at least I think so!). Back to the grind and home improvements. And, relaxing. Lots of patio time. 🙂
Lastly, Micki & I will be putting together some deeper information about the ride, stats, the bike, etc, etc. It’ll take some time to gather all that, so be sure to “Like” the CycleShit Page to get notices; https://www.facebook.com/CycleShit/
Thanks for Following Along. I Had A Great Time! Very Happy I completed my goal. And, really appreciated everyone’s help, comments, and input.
[VIDEO] -0:35

June 26, Costa Mesa, California – Forty days have passed since finishing the ride. Still mind-boggling if I think about it too deeply. Finally got paperwork submitted to the IBA for verification. And, Micki has put this fun infographic together. Something I probably shouldn’t admit to: After riding 40,000 miles in 40 days.. I only rode 13 miles in the 40 days after that; to the DMV and Dentist no less. Not the most fun destinations! lol

June 30, Costa Mesa, CA – We did an interview with Long Riders Radio. Justin was a great host. Fun!
“Steve and Micki tell us about everything that went into Steve riding 40,000 miles in 40 days.”
Listen here!
https://www.longridersradio.com/podcast/68-the-40-40-club-steve-diederich-and-micki-denton

The experiences described in these posts were Steve or Micki’s at the time they took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

2018 Iron Butt 50cc Quest Certificate Ride

We successfully attempted an Iron Butt Association 50cc Quest certificate motorcycle ride from Jacksonville, FL to Huntington Beach, CA ..roughly 2,400 miles in under 50 hours. Riding between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean going Coast to Coast. And, scooping-up a bit of water & sand at the start and finish. This will be Micki’s 2nd 50cc and Steve’s 8th.

March 18, 6:03 pm, Exxon, Winnie, TX – Gas, bike maintenance and a burger from the most chaotic McD’s I’ve ever encountered. Back on the road. Spotwalla is a touch behind as the (now replaced) Spot battery died.

March 18, 8:02 pm, Engle, TX –

Happiness is…
– looking up at the stars
– finding a bonus beef jerky stick in your pocket
– people who can read and understand the “Left lane for passing only” sign
– San Antonio being only 2-digit miles away

March 18, 10:20 pm, Kerrville, TX – Bed, after a Long day!!

March 19, 7:46 am, Kerrville, TX – Gassed Up and Rollin’!

March 19, 10:32 am, Bakersfield, TX – Gas, snacks. Not as close to home as our Bakersfield.

The experiences described in these posts were Steve or Micki’s at the time they took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

The experiences described in these posts were Steve or Micki’s at the time they took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

An RTE is a Ride to Eat. The idea is you ride in, have a meal with other riders and ride home. What is most fun about these events (at least in the Long Distance community) is that folks will come from ALL over. For the Bite the Weenie RTE, we don’t have very far to ride in, but still enjoy going to see old friends and meet new. Here are a couple of pics from our ride and the event.

The content below was collected by Micki Denton from prior posts on Facebook by Steve Diederich. Steve has not reviewed or approved these posts. The experiences described in these posts were Steve’s at the time he took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described

Iron Butt Rally
The Iron Butt Rally is an eleven-day motorcycle event, broken into sections (or legs), traversing a large section of North America. It is not a race. No benefits, actual or implied, accrue to the rider who finishes a section (or the entire rally) in the least amount of time. Finishing positions will be determined solely by the points obtained by the riders during the entirety of the event. The following rules, tips, and miscellaneous information are designed to provide the rider with the minimum amount of background material necessary to participate in the event.

Riders spend years training and preparing for this ride they call The Big Dance.

Rally Prep

March 22, 2016 – Las Vegas, NV – First.. The IBA’s 2017 Iron Butt Rally (IBR): I’m in! 🙂 I’m thrilled to be accepted to participate and look forward to doing my best riding ~11,000 Miles over 11 Days next year scavenging for bonus points all over North America. (http://www.ironbuttrally.com)
Second.. I feel for my fellow LD riders who applied and weren’t accepted. It’s incredibly tough to get accepted to and I’ve received that “Not the email you wanted to receive…” message before. Just keep riding and keep trying!

June 2017
Last minute bike maintenance begins.

June 13 – Tire Day! These tires are going to leave their mark on more of North America in the next four weeks than most Americans see in a lifetime

June 13 – Provisions have arrived! Maybe some water, and a full tank of gas and I’ll be ready to ride 🙂

June 15 – Bike prep and maintenance is all done for the Big Dance! I even saved a few bucks and upgraded the iPad to the latest in low-tech for routing me to the IBR Start. — in Costa Mesa, California.

Ride Food

June 21 – As ready as Me and Moto will ever be Minneapolis Bound! — in Costa Mesa, California.

June 21 – Away He Goes!

June 24 – Made it to Minneapolis Thursday. Got through Tech Inspection, ODO Check, and Registration today without problems. Just waiting for Rider Meetings tomorrow, and the Rally Start Monday morning! Oh, and this graphic is suppose to give us clues as to the ‘Rally Theme’; as in.. Where we’re going.
??? — at Minneapolis Marriott West.

6/25 – Got my Rally Routing Desk all setup! Welp, the time has come. Check-in and Riders Meetings are over. We’re just waiting for the Banquet Dinner where they hand out the “Rally Packets”. Then, its Plan Plan Plan and Ride starting in the morning for the next 11 days. So, you won’t see much of me around Facebook or whatever. Will be too busy riding & sleeping. To follow the 2017 Iron Butt Rally, here are links to whats happening during the rally:
IBR DAILY REPORTS http://ironbutt.com/2017ibr.cfm
PUBLIC SPOTWALLA TRACKING MAP https://spotwalla.com/locationViewer.php?id=429
2017 IBR RULES http://ironbutt.com/ibr/_2017/IBR2017Rules.pdf
Wish me luck! It’s going to be an adventure 🙂

The IBR Rally Masters have issued a no social media policy during the rally. These are the last visuals we have of Steve until the rally is over!

What does one do after they’ve ridden across the county??? Circumnavigate Florida!

The Keys
We had plans to ride to the Florida Keys, stay the night and then head up to Sarasota to visit Steve’s daughter. Since we got in a little behind schedule, we decided to rest another day and do our trip around Florida in one fell swoop. We set out in the morning and were crossing the Keys by mid-day. Mic pretended she was an extra in True Lies as we cruised across the 7-mile bridge.

Mic & Steve at the southernmost point of the continental US.

Mic having a slice of Key Lime pie in the Florida Keys, while on the phone with Chase, assuring them that yes, it was us buying gas in Florida.

Alligator Alley
After a slow, long ride to the end of the Keys and back, we jetted across the tip of Florida via Alligator Alley. It was dark and thankfully we saw no gators! We pulled over at some point as it seemed that something was rattling, but upon remembering that you can’t out run an alligator, we hopped back on the bike and went on our merry way. Not too long afterward, we arrived at our hotel in Sarasota.

Siesta Key Beach
We had a lovely visit with Steve’s daughter and visited beautiful, albeit chilly, Siesta Key Beach. After a nice breakfast in the morning, we headed off back to Jacksonville.

Steve has attended the IBA (Iron Butt Association) “Pizza Party” for a number of years now. The Daytona Party, as it’s now called, happens the last weekend of Daytona Bike Week, in Daytona, Florida. Long distance riders come from all over to hang, ride, and celebrate some fun IBA rides. If you’re headed to the IBA event, you will usually do an IBA ride to get there. This can be the entry-level SaddleSore 1000 or the ridiculous 250cccccc that Steve did in March 2016 where he rode from San Diego to Jacksonville and back, and back, and back and back – crossing the US 5x in 10 days. Steve and Mic decided on a single 50cc – Coast to Coast in 50 hours or less. This would be Mic’s longest ride and Steve’s longest 2-up ride.

Mic was excited to take a trip across the US on a motorcycle. She enjoyed the ride home from Denver, after flying out to meet Steve at the finish of the 2016 Butt Lite. Having completed a SaddleSore 1000 as pillion, she earned membership in the IBA, an IBA number and could be certified for completing a 50cc.

A 50cc begins at one coast (east or west) and ends at the other coast. The ride should take 50 hours or less. San Diego, CA and Jacksonville, FL are the closest points between oceans and have been used many times and beginning as ending points for this ride. The rider collects water in one ocean and then the other, and this becomes a nice souvenir of their ride.

Heading Out
Anticipating the trip and 2 weeks off work, she shared links so her family, friends and coworkers could follow her as she gallivants across the US.
Mic knew she needed to pack light; she was aware the bike needed to hold water & food for 2 days, in addition to a week’s worth of clothing & toiletries. She edited as best she could, yet this much still needed to be left behind.

Supplies packed and riders mounted up, headed to San Diego the night before the ride.

Pacific Ocean
The alarm rang early Saturday morning. Mic & Steve suited up, packed the bike and made the short trip to the gas station to get the starting receipt. Two fellow riders offered to meet up at the starting location to serve as witnesses. With a brief conversation, thank yous and well wishes, Mic & Steve headed to Dog Beach, which has easy access from a parking lot to the surf. In the process of gathering up the Pacific Ocean seawater, a larger wave rushed in, splashing up to Mic’s knee. Having followed Steve’s lead in washing & waterproofing her Aerostich pants and riding boots, her feet and legs stayed completely dry!

The West
The ride out of town and out of state was uneventful. Beautiful desert scenery rushed by. It wasn’t long to the Arizona border. A slight turn south and we arrived at the NM border. As the sun set, we grabbed a quick meal from a Wendy’s drive thru. It was nice to feel the air-conditioned “breeze” flowing out of the drive thru window.

Gassed up, we continued East. We noticed Steve’s microphone cutting in and out as he spoke. When he wiggled and pulled the wire, it would come back. Then a bump in the road would take it out again. Then the next bump would bring it back. Continued wiggling, pulling & tapping, guided him to the left pocket. A tap on the pocket would bring it back just about anytime it went out.

As we entered Texas we saw some rain on the radar. We were in contact with a fellow rider, Kenneth, who was doing a 100ccc from Jacksonville to San Diego and back, on the same highway. He reported hitting rain, so we prepared. We saw clouds off in the distance and encountered 180-degree show of lightning, but never experienced more than a light sprinkling of rain. Kenneth, on the other hand, hit storm cell after storm cell. Unfortunately, this impacted his timing and our intended mid-Texas meetup ended up being a quick flash of the high beams as he motored West past us on the 10. We did make a midnight rest stop somewhere in Texas to let a rain cell pass by. We ended up sitting next to a group of state troopers who had met for coffee and discussion of the latest ‘perps’ they’ve apprehended. They wished us well and we continued East.

We rolled into Kerrville about 4am Central time. We lost 2 hours moving from the Pacific time zone to the Central time zone. We also lost an hour due to the change to Daylight Saving Time. We slept hard that night, waking at noon – check-out time – to get back on the road.

Texas, and more Texas, then the Panhandle
Texas is big. Having left at noon, we were in the Lone Star state until sundown. Luckily it was a Sunday, so navigating the larger cities was a breeze and we cruised quickly through Texas to Louisiana & Alabama. You know what seems as big as Texas? The Panhandle of Florida. Man, that thing is wide! At hour 10, Mic was SO excited to be in Florida. When she peeked over Steve’s shoulder at the GPS, the realization that they were still 10 hours from the coast was disheartening. And it was cold. Why was Florida COLD???

Florida
We’ve crossed the last state line for this journey — just need to get ourselves to the Atlantic Ocean. We’re moving fine, but communication is difficult and Mic is freezing. Steve opts to stop and get Mic suited up in any electric gear he’s got on the bike. It’s dark, it’s in the 40’s and we’re motoring down the highway. Mic warms up a bit with the extra gear, but still isn’t comfortable. After a bit, Steve again decides to stop – and this time we’re not going anywhere until Mic is warm and we can hear each other. He begins with troubleshooting the gear and discovers a broken connector. He bypasses the connector and voilà!, heat begins and Mic is warm! Next he dismantles the dashboard checking connections as he goes along. A small adjustment and voilà!, we have sound. Now it’s time to finish this last leg.

Atlantic Ocean
The sun rose as we rode and we began to warm some. A couple stops for coffee and rest kept us moving through the early morning hours. Right about 9am Eastern we arrived at Neptune Beach, our Atlantic Ocean destination. We parked the bike, took a few deep breaths and trudged out across the sand to scoop up our water and sand for our keepsake bottles. We completed our 50cc within the 50 hour time limit. Success!

The content below was collected by Micki Denton from prior posts on Facebook by Steve Diederich. Steve has not reviewed or approved these posts. The experiences described in these posts were Steve’s at the time he took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

January 4, 2016

32,345 miles ridden in 2016. Another year that I am happy I was able to ride lots-and-lots of miles. Clearly, I got to enjoy more of the West than the Northeast for a change, and.. spent nearly half my miles back-n-forth on Interstate 10. I spent so much time riding through Texas I should be a resident! lol

Plus, today (Jan 4th, 2017) marks my 10th Anniversary of buying my first motorcycle (Suzuki Intruder VS800). Between the Intruder and two GL1800 Gold Wings I have ridden 156,110 miles. More than half of that in the past three years.

2017? Welp, I’ve already got 24,000 miles planned (includes the 2017 Iron Butt Rally) and it’s only the first week of the year!

The Park ‘n Ride Rally is put on by the BMW Club of Southern California and the Southern California Motorcycling Association (SCMA). It is an 8-hour rally where participants collect points by visiting bonus locations throughout California. Combinations of bonus locations can yield more points. The bonus locations are provided in a packet the week before the rally to allow for planning. When the rally was originally developed and named, it included Park & Ride locations. The 2016 rally focused on quintessential California items – Missions, Motorcycles & In-N-Out Burger. Bonus locations were the California Missions, Motorcycle Dealerships, In-N-Out Burger stores (in different cities) and other notable or historic California locations.

Mic knew all about the Missions, having grown up in Southern California and completed a Mission project in 4th grade. Steve, on the otherhand, grew up in upstate New York and was not familiar with the Missions. Mic saw this as a great opportunity to flex her 4th grade knowledge and provide a quick verbal tutorial on Junípero Serra and El Camino Real, which Steve graciously endured.

Although she had not done a rally before, Mic had spent her formative years driving the freeways of Southern California. This would come in handy for routing and mid-rally re-routing.

The rally allowed for remote starting locations. You would just need to collect a “start receipt” after the rally start time (7 am) documenting the date & time from a gas station or other store. We decided to take a “straight line” approach to the rally, rather than starting at the start/finish, looping out & returning. We found a nice hotel in San Diego and shacked up for the night. The evening would involve last minute routing plan adjustments, further deliberation on timing & achievable bonuses, and an attempt to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Breakfast in Bed
A quick stop at Target the night before, allowed for a reasonably hearty breakfast in bed. The day would be filled with granola bars & jerky. It was nice to get a good meal in beforehand.

Stop #1 — at Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala
We started out strong! Got a gas receipt just after 7am and headed up the hill to our first bonus location. Heading down the hill, as we headed up, was another rider in full gear on a decently equipped bike. Hmm… wonder if we’ll see him again.

Stop #2 — at The Kiss Statue In San Diego
The Kiss Statue is located just to the side of the docked USS Midway. The coordinates of the bonus location took us (and the rider we recently crossed paths with) to the Midway itself. In the early morning fog, we paused with the other rider, confounded as to the whereabouts of this statue. Mic suggested we move forward and check the greenbelt beyond the ship. Finally, we saw it off around the corner and bagged bonus #2. We didn’t see the other rider again until the finish.

Stop #3 – at On Eternal Patrol — in San Diego, California
Mic is getting the hang of this “holding the rally sign” thing.

Stop #4 — at San Diego Harley-Davidson
Quick pic, but not so quick return to the freeway. The intended freeway on ramp was closed. A 5-mi detour took us through neighborhoods to a connecting freeway and we were finally back on our way north.

Stop #5 — at San Luis del Rey de Friancia Mission

Stop #6 — at Mission San Juan Capistrano, CA

Stop #7 — at Mission Motorsports
This was an easy one to find, as Steve has visited for repairs & motorcycle group meetings. A Mission AND a motorcycle dealership! Combo bonus??

Stop #8 — at Mission San Gabriel Archangel
This is Mic’s 4th grade project Mission. She didn’t recognize it at all.

Stops — at In-N-Out Burger (not pictured)
Most In-N-Out Burger stores open at 10am and there was one just around the corner from Impex Motorsports. We needed a receipt and the smell of the burgers made us a little hungry, so why not go through the drive thru and get a burger?? Well… because the drive thru lines at In-N-Out are long. Duh. After a long, warm wait in the drive thru line, swallowing the burger and getting greasy gloves, we decided that at the rest of the In-N-Outs – Mic hops off, runs in, finds the shortest line, orders the cheapest item (milk) and gets the receipt. She successfully convinced each cashier to NOT give her the milk, just the receipt. We successfully bought an item at 5 different In-N-Outs in 5 different cities without Visa issuing a card fraud alert.

Stop #10 — at Exposition Park
This one was a challenge. Exposition Park is home to the Science Center, Natural History Museum and the Coliseum. It was game day. The parking lot was full of vendors and trucks setting up for the big game. We just wanted a photo of THAT plane, RIGHT there. After some pleading and pointing, the lot attendant decided we were trustworthy and allowed us to slip in to take our pic and slip right out. Yay!

Stop #11 – At Hollywood Electrics
Here’s where we hit some resistance… The Rally Master called ahead and spoke to the manager of the shop, letting him know that the location would be included in the Park n Ride rally. This message was not passed on to the staff on duty. They were less than pleased to allow us to sit on a bike for a photo (per rally instructions). We heard later that they completely refused participants that showed up after us. Whoops!

Stop #12 — at Pink’s Hot Dogs
This was both Mic & Steve’s first trip to Pink’s. We didn’t get dogs this time, but would come back a few months later for a RTE (Ride to Eat).

Stop #13 — at Hollywood Sign, Hollywood, CA
Beautiful day and a great view of the sign.

Stop #14 — at Mission San Fernando Rey de España

Stop #15 — at Corriganville Regional Park
Took us a bit to find these gates. You drive past them on the way to the parking lot for the park. It took some backtracking and searching to find them.

Note that the smile has faded from the photos. Someone is ready for the rally to be over.

Stop #16 – Photo with a Police Officer — in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
While Mic contemplated leaping off the bike at a stoplight and Ubering home, Steve was planning on how to gather some bonus, bonus points. Mic thought we had what we needed and should roll into the finish a few minutes early. Steve thought we could bag a few more points. Before either of us could fully plead a case for stopping or keeping on, a motorcycle policeman crossed our path. A bonus opportunity was in sight. We just needed to follow it. In a moment of brilliance, Steve handed the camera to Mic and held up the rally card. Got it! A police officer in the pic with our rally card.

Stop #17 – Photo with a Fireman — in Santa Clarita, California.
Steve conceded that we could head straight to the rally finish, IF, there wasn’t a fire station nearby. There was, just one block away. It was a nice break to get off the bike and Mic’s smile returned for a pic with the fireman. (Who wouldn’t smile when in the presence of a fireman???)

Stop #18 – at BMW Motorcycles — in Santa Clarita, California.
Luckily the finish location was also a motorcycle dealership – 2 for 1! The levity exhibited at the fire station had disappeared on the short ride to the finish. Mic was done and it was evident in the disinterest in looking at the camera. Rally was done. Steve was fine. Mic was exhausted. Mic spent the rally on bursts of anxiety and adrenaline, fumbling with paperwork, gloves that impeded phone usage and constantly weighing time, traffic & bonus points accumulated to make decisions on routing and re-routing. When asked “Did you have fun?”, the answer was “Ehhh…”. Well, it was a learning experience.

The Route
We rode over 200 miles and bagged 22K points. Our route took us to 5 Missions, 5 In-N-Outs, 5 motorcycle dealerships and 8 other bonus locations between San Diego and Santa Clarita.

WINNERS!
We were shocked! We won 1st place with our 22K points. 2nd place only had 16K. Wow!

Mic found the energy to smile and graciously pose for the picture. We received an engraved trophy and a gift certificate to Mamba Motorsports, which we used to upgrade our headsets (long story short).

After some other equipment upgrades, a couple other big rides, Mic says she’d consider doing another rally. Like childbirth, after enough time passes, you think, I could do this again.

December 8, 2016 – Steve says… It took a few weeks since the rally to receive the etched award, but here it is; in all it’s polycarbonate glory: Our Trophy for coming in 1st Place in the Southern California Motorcycle Association’s (SCMA) Park & Ride (Scavenger Hunt) Rally. It fits nicely on my iPad mount. :p

The content below was collected by Micki Denton from prior posts on Facebook by Steve Diederich. Steve has not reviewed or approved these posts. The experiences described in these posts were Steve’s at the time he took the ride. Each rider’s experience is unique. These posts do not describe what is usual or likely for the ride described.

2016 Butt Lite VIII Rally

The Rally

Butt Lite VIII will run 6 days, from Sunday, July 3rd to Saturday, July 9th, 2016. The rally will start & finish in Colorado and will include one checkpoint.

On the fence? Need a bit of convincing that this is the rally for you? We guarantee a grand time for all, lots of great bonuses, wonderful roads and the best swag in all of LD rallying. A better vacation cannot be had.

Did you know? The last 4 Iron Butt Rally winners are all Butt Lite veterans and the one before that was a winner of multiple TeamStrange rallies.
50% of the 2015 IBR Gold Medal Finishers are Butt Lite finishers, including all of the top 3 riders. Eric Jewell won Butt Lite 1. Josh Mountain won Butt Lite 7.
54% of the Silver Medal Finishers are Butt Lite finishers.

The partnership between Butt Lite & the Iron Butt Rally continues. As in years past, the top 10 finishers in Butt Lite will receive a non-draw spot in the 2017 Iron Butt Rally. TeamStrange will pay the entry fee into the IBR for the first place winner of Butt Lite VIII.

Don’t delay. Butt Lite 7 sold out in less than 72 hours. We are fairly certain Butt Lite VIII will be just as popular.

July 2, 2016 – Marriott Denver Tech Center – Denver, CO
RADIO SILENCE… Welp, the time has come. The start of the Butt Lite VIII Motorcycle (Scavenger Hunt) 6-Day Rally. And, us Riders are banned from ANY Social Media, Blogging, Public Forum posting of Anything (Otherwise we will be sad). So, this is my last post for the next 6-days/144-hours.
You can follow the Public Blog for the event: http://buttliteviii.blogspot.com. And, follow All the Riders on the Public SpotWalla SPOT tracking page: https://spotwalla.com/locationViewer.php?id=336.
Wish me Luck, Safe Travels & Fun! Ciao

July 9, 2016 – Awards Banquet

July 14, 2016 – Home Safe & Sound from Butt Lite VIII. Playing catch up. Had a great time/ride. Happy with placing 24th out of 78 finishers; considering the mistakes I made! :\
As you can see, the bike got pretty dirty! And, will be till I get around to cleaning it (blah). Exploding-on-impact bugs in Arizona, mostly.
Here’s all where I rode 5,700 miles in 6 days…